It’s zeppole seasonnnnn – not that there is ever a time where zeppole is a bad idea but…. March 19th in Italy marks Father’s Day or Festa di San Giuseppe. In Italy this day is celebrated by one of my favourite Italian pastries – the zeppole.
Zeppole
It is basically a cream puff donut, filled with classic pastry cream and topped with syrupy black cherries. They seem intense but they are so easy to make. You can even make the zeppole shell and the cream ahead of time and just assemble when it's time to serve!
Ingredients
Dough
- 250 ml (1 cup) water
- 113 g (½ cup) butter
- 140 g (1 cup) flour
- 4 eggs
Pastry Cream
- 500 ml (2 cups) whole milk
- lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 150 g (¾ cup) sugar
- 40 g (⅓ cup) cornstarch
Assembly
- Black cherries in syrup (amarene)
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
For the zeppole dough:
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
- In a medium pot, combine the water and butter over medium heat.
- Once the mixture just begins to boil, take it off the heat.
- Add the flour and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to peel off the sides of the pot and forms a ball.
- Add the eggs one at a time, stirring in between until each one is fully incorporated.
- Stir the mixture vigorously until it is thick and smooth.
- Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a large starry tip.
- Pipe two 3-inch diameter circles, one on top of the other on a lined baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the dough.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Turn off the oven and open the door slightly, keeping the zeppole inside until completely cooled.
For the pastry cream:
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the cornstarch. Set aside
- In a pot over low to medium heat, warm the milk, lemon zest and vanilla until you see wisps of smoke (right before the milk begins to boil). Turn off the heat.
- Temper the eggs by adding the warm milk, a very little at a time and whisking in between each addition.
- Once all the milk has been added, return the mixture to the pot over low to medium heat. Continue to stir until thick and creamy, until it just reaches a simmer.
- Strain the mixture into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, with the wrap touching the top layer of the cream so a skin does not form.
- Let cool and then refrigerate to cool completely.
Assembly:
- Slice the zeppole in half and pipe cream on the bottom half. Top the cream with some black cherries (I typically put 3 or 4). Close the zeppole, pipe another bit of cream on top (typically in the center) and place a cherry on top!
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve.